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Sacred Time

Time is cyclical in the Hindu view. The cosmos is created, maintained for a certain period, then destroyed, only to be recreated. This cycle has no beginning and no end. Each world cycle (sometimes called a Great Cycle) is the equivalent of a single day in the life of the god Brahma, who is often understood to be the "creator" of the universe. Each Brahma-day lasts 4,320,000,000 years. Each Brahma-day is divided into four yugas: the Satya Yuga is said to last about 1.7 million years; the Treta Yuga about 1.3 million years; the Dvapara Yuga about 860 thousand years; and the Kali Yuga, about 430 million years. The world as we know it is currently in the last of the four yugas, the Kali Yuga, the most chaotic and degenerated period, when dharma—order—has broken down almost completely.

In this sense, since all time is measured relative to the divine, all time is thus sacred. Until fairly recently, there were dozens of different calendars in use in the Hindu world, each of which reflected certain regional and sectarian variations. In contemporary India, there are two main calendars used alongside the Gregorian calendar of the West: the Vikram Samvant and the Saka. The Saka was developed by a 1st-century Indian king, Shalivahana, in the year 78 C.E., while the Vikram is thought to have begun at about the same time with the coronation of the king Vikramaditya. Both of these are lunisolar calendars, thus measuring the year according to twelve lunar months. All major religious festivals and auspicious times and days for performing particular rituals are determined by these calendars.

Hinduism has traditionally held that there are certain times and days that are better to hold or to begin important events, such as marriage, particular religious rituals, even business ventures. The times and days for all major religious events are determined by careful consultation of the calendars by priests. On a more mundane level, many Hindus will consult a priest or other religious figure to determine the proper day for a marriage, or a journey, or any number of other activities. For each person, there are more and less auspicious times, based on the day and time of their birth, the movements of the planets and stars, and a number of other factors. Many Hindus have their own astrological charts made—sometimes by parents shortly after the birth of a child—that they will consult and have interpreted by priests throughout their lives.